For those that completed Hearts of stone. What is the man of glass exactly?(spoilers )

[dragonbird]

I thought it was an interesting and thoughtful analysis. And completely disagreed with it. To me, Gaunter is the Trickster, Supernatural's Crossroad Demon, Lucifer, The Monkey's Paw and every Djinn story that's ever been written about the concept of "Be careful what you wish for, or it may come true". A supernatural being that exists, in some form or other, in many cultures and myths. And I also wonder if it's a coincidence that his initials spell "GOD", as a lot of the old gods also like messing with people.

And as to why he's doing it? Probably for entertainment. It must get boring being an immortal.

 

[Luxorek]

Seems to be the in-game equivalent of the devil.

Definitely inspired by Pan Twardowski's devil too. Especially with that meeting 'on the moon' clause.

 

[Ðarkstar]

I don't think it will be explained but from what I know and a good guess, he's a post-conjunction entity that inhabits both the ethereal and corporeal planes. Having the abilities to see into peoples minds, freeze time and fly he's basically the equivalent to what would be known as a god, thus put together with the language he utters at the end (which sounds like archaic elder speak), the evil appearance he takes when you find out he's bad news and what the professor at Oxenfurt was able to gather....... He's Veles or an interpretation of him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veles_(god)

 

[Scryar]

According to someone on Reddit there is a file named h01_ma_mirror_man_satan_d01.png. in the gamefiles
Furthermorethere is a song at the very beginning of the dlc

I was playing the dlc with german subtitles and while the english version starts with "Your wishes he grants, as he swears to adore you..[.....] the german subtitles say:
"Des Teufels Sohn ist eloquent und nett anzuschauen" which means "The devil's son is eloquent and nice to look at".

That professor in Oxenfurt also called him the evil incarnate which is a an indication imo that he is indeed the devil and not just some demon (his abilities would be way too powerful anyway)
On the other hand the codex entry calls him a "demon". But it's written by Dandelion and I doubt neither Dandelion nor Geralt really know who/what he was.

I really hope we will see him again in Blood and Wine. He was the by far best "villain" in Witcher 3. According to some other thread his last word could have been a hint that he will be back and in the codex entry Dandelion states that he fears that he might come back.

 

[dragonbird]

Some enjoy keeping ant farms and caring for the inhabitants, and others get their kicks from poking anthills with a stick. If we call the former "Gods", then "Devil" is a reasonable enough name for the latter, something as powerful as a god, much more powerful than a mere demon or djinn. In a world with multiple Gods, some of them will be evil, if you're looking at it from the perspective of the ant.

I'd still not necessarily agree with the viewpoint that there's only one of him, as nobody in the game knows exactly who or what he is, so they're all speculating. Maybe there is, maybe there are many, just as there are many Gods in the Witcher world.

 

[DarkTail]

To me the answer is clear.
The last quest is all and everything about it.
The man of glass pops up a riddle.A riddle of "WHAT AM I?"
Yes.His riddle is the answer of who he really is.In that quest,he keeps laughing and asking Geralt "What is it/Who am I?"
In witcher universe,there is no highlevel demon or detailed huge structure like DND.The witcher stories keeps telling that the true evil can be human himself.
I sure hope CDPR keeps it that way.Like they said evil is evil.The HoS is flash of tales yet still telling a story of a human.
The Gaunt O.Dim ,To me it is nothing but a magical mirror.

 

[RedStar105]

Dunno if anybody noticed, but you can get a gwent card with his name and the illustration looks like a dark demon. KInda like that specter you encounter at skellige that's haunting Cerys' friend.

 

[vitriks]

One of the devils soul collectors.

 

[Bfler.383]

Some people in the forum have mentioned that there was an achievement with the name "Beat the devil". I guess with that it's obvious that he shall represent the devil.

 

[nikopololiver]

I really hope we will see him again in Blood and Wine. He was the by far best "villain" in Witcher 3. According to some other thread his last word could have been a hint that he will be back and in the codex entry Dandelion states that he fears that he might come back.

He already did so. He was, at least once, beaten in his own game. And yet, he was back. He is someone who can grant immortality at his own whim. He controls time. He knows character of ghost or a man without asking, looking or anything. Devil is closest it can get, but I have a feeling he is something more.

Like a force of nature. The evil that lies within all souls. Than again, is he evil incorporated? Did he act towards Geralt with ill intentions? With evil in his mind? They made a deal and he followed it through. In the end, gave Geralt his wish and said his farewell and left. He never cheats. Seems CDPR wanted him to remain ambiguous.

 

[dragonbird]

That's consistent with most "Devil/Djinn as a maker of contracts" lore though. He writes the contract, and will use any loophole or fine print to make it turn bad. But he also honours it and doesn't cheat if bested.

 

[dmcaldw]

That's consistent with most "Devil/Djinn as a maker of contracts" lore though. He writes the contract, and will use any loophole or fine print to make it turn bad. But he also honours it and doesn't cheat if bested.

I think one of the best parts or ironic things is Geralt and O'Dim both deal in contracts not once did either try to weasel their way out but made changes in the end it was the riddle . On either side it was a negotiation until the end game . Battle of contract masters .

 

[iquackuduck]

He is the big bad himself, the Prince of Darkness, El Diablo, Satan.

He's Lucifer.

He reminds me a tad of Al Pacino's portrayal of Lucifer in the film The Devil's Advocate.

Good film BTW.

 

[Ðarkstar]

His powers reminded me of that post conjunction demon that feeds on fears (from the Skellige questline)

 

[dragonbird]

I think one of the best parts or ironic things is Geralt and O'Dim both deal in contracts not once did either try to weasel their way out but made changes in the end it was the riddle . On either side it was a negotiation until the end game . Battle of contract masters .

And on some versions at least, Geralt did his own "Read the fine print" twist. I think this one depends on how you play it, but after the heist...

Spoiler

if you side with Ewald Borsodi throughout the quest, and cut a deal with him, you get the house but not the scroll. When Olgierd complains that the house is empty, you point out that this is what he wished for - the house, not the contents

I guess Geralt has had a lot of practice at dealing with Contracts. Something Gaunter may not have taken into consideration when he decided Geralt would be a useful proxy.

 

[bjoernsen80]

O'Dim very much reminds me of the antagonist of a german fairytale. He is called "Holländer Michels" from the fairytale "the cold heart".

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/46451/

I think he is just a powerful relic/demon, like the crones. he basically does the same.. he tricks & marks people to help them just like the crones do.

 

[Boromir2015]

Yes, I think bjoernsen80 reminds rightly. The adaption of the fairy/novel "Das kalte Herz" in Englisch "The frozen heart" by W. Hauff is abviously. The main character in the fairy/novel gets a heart of stone like Olgierd as the price for his wishes Then he kills his wife under the influence of this heart...
In the fairy by Hauff is not exactly explained what the "Holländer Michel" is, bur it seems he's an essence older than the humans.

 

[TheEmmentaler]

The adaption of the fairy/novel "Das kalte Herz" in Englisch "The frozen heart" by W. Hauff is obvious. The main character in the fairy/novel gets a heart of stone like Olgierd as the price for his wishes.

It seems that the very title of the DLC is an allusion to Hauff's story, but it makes me wonder how many people know that story, since both Hauff and his "The Spessart Inn" are rather obscure, at least compare to the brothers Grimm, for example. Any word from CD Project Red about that?
It also makes me wonder why

Spoiler

Olgierd loses his ability to love, or even care. In Hauff's tale, this is a consequence of the price the protagonist has to pay for his wish, his heart is literally replaced by a stone. I must have missed important details about the details of Olgierd's wish and how it was subverted.

Back to the topic of the thread: Obviously there are a lot of different characters that inspired Gaunter (several of which have already been mentioned in this thread, but if one reads more fairy tales, one would find many more), "the devil" being one of them. But then, "the devil" in Christian mythology is also a lot of different characters, actually. But, a new aspect for me is that

Spoiler

Gaunter is called "master mirror", which, as was already mentioned here, too, seems to allude to the aspect that Gaunter simply reflects, maybe emphasizes, but does not create evil to be found in man. (That he himself kills a man in the Oxenfurt inn seems to be out of character in this regard.) "The devil" as the European medieval character that tries to trick people into selling him their souls is a trickster. Other incarnations of "the devil" are seducers, or manifestations of evil. I know of no character that would earn a title like "master mirror" in the sense described above. Any ideas?

 

[Boromir2015]

The "master mirror " himself reminds me of the "alchemist" in the French movie "Vidocq". A very good movie!

 

[Arcafonk]

It seems that the very title of the DLC is an allusion to Hauff's story

In the end,

Spoiler

Gerald asks Olgierd since when he has a heart of stone... It was his wish.
To me, when there is gods, there is devils. Gunter is one of these.
The reflect of the evil inside you. The evil in what you need. The "man in the mirror" when you shave the morning. The price to pay for your aspirations.

In the university you learn he's "the" evil incarnate, from the lips of a guy who is guarded by monotheistics Radovid's witch hunters, from the lips of a guy who fear so much the death that he trap himself in a circle of his best ennemy... Maybe in those times of war, "security" was his wish...